This invention relates in general to electrostatography and, more specifically, to a flexible electrophotoconductive imaging member having an anti-curl backing layer.
In the art of xerography, a xerographic plate comprising a photoconductive insulating layer is imaged by first uniformly depositing an electrostatic charge on the imaging surface of the xerographic plate and then exposing the plate to a pattern of activating electromagnetic radiation such as light which selectively dissipates the charge in the illuminated areas of the plate while leaving behind an electrostatic latent image in the non-illuminated areas. This electrostatic latent image may then be developed to form a visible image by depositing finely divided electroscopic marking particles on the imaging surface.
A photoconductive layer for use in xerography may be a homogeneous layer of a single material such as vitreous selenium or it may be a composite layer containing a photoconductor and another material. One type of composite photoconductive layer used in electrophotography is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990. A photosensitive member is described in this patent having at least two electrically operative layers. One layer comprises a photoconductive layer which is capable of photogenerating holes and injecting the photogenerated holes into a contiguous charge transport layer. Generally, where the two electrically operative layers are positioned on an electrically conductive layer with the photoconductive layer sandwiched between a contiguous charge transport layer and the conductive layer, the outer surface of the charge transport layer is normally charged with a uniform electrostatic charge and the conductive layer is utilized as an electrode. In flexible electrophotographic imaging members, the electrode is normally a thin conductive coating supported on a thermoplastic resin web. Obviously, the conductive layer may also function as an electrode when the charge transport layer is sandwiched between the conductive layer and a photoconductive layer which is capable of photogenerating electrons and injecting the photogenerated electrons into the charge transport layer. The charge transport layer in this embodiment, of course, must be capable of supporting the injection of photogenerated electrons from the photoconductive layer and transporting the electrons through the charge transport layer.
Various combinations of materials for charge generating layers and charge transport layers have been investigated. For example, the photosensitive member described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990 utilizes a charge generating layer in contiguous contact with a charge transport layer comprising a polycarbonate resin and one or more of certain aromatic amine compounds. Various generating layers comprising photoconductive layers exhibiting the capability of photogeneration of holes and injection of the holes into a charge transport layer have also been investigated. Typical photoconductive materials utilized in the generating layer include amorphous selenium, trigonal selenium, and selenium alloys such as selenium-tellurium, selenium-tellurium-arsenic, selenium-arsenic, and mixtures thereof. The charge generation layer may comprise a homogeneous photoconductive material or particulate photoconductive material dispersed in a binder. Other examples of homogeneous and binder charge generation layer are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990. Additional examples of binder materials such as poly(hydroxyether) resins are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,507. The disclosures of the aforesaid U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,265,990 and 4,439,507 are incorporated herein in their entirety. Photosensitive members having at least two electrically operative layers as disclosed above in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990 provide excellent images when charged with a uniform negative electrostatic charge, exposed to a light image and thereafter developed with finely developed electroscopic marking particles.
When one or more photoconductive layers are applied to a flexible supporting substrate, it has been found that the resulting photoconductive member tends to curl. Curling is undesirable because different segments of the imaging surface of the photoconductive member are located at different distances from charging devices, developer applicators and the like during the electrophotographic imaging process thereby adversely affecting the quality of the ultimate developed images. For example, non-uniform charging distances can be manifested as variations in high background deposits during development of electrostatic latent images. Coatings may be applied to the side of the supporting substrate opposite the photoconductive layer to counteract the tendency to curl. However, difficulties have been encountered with these anti-curl coatings. For example, photoreceptor curl can sometimes still be encountered in as few as 1,500 imaging cycles under the stressful conditions of high temperature and high humidity. Further, it has been found that during cycling of the photoconductive imaging member in electrophotographic imaging systems, the relatively rapid wearing away of the anti-curl coating also results in the curling of the photoconductive imaging member. In some tests, the anti-curl coating was completely removed in 150 thousand to 200 thousand cycles. This erosion problem is even more pronounced when photoconductive imaging members in the form of webs or belts are supported in part by stationary guide surfaces which causes the anti-curl layer to wears away very rapidly and produce debris which scatters and deposits on critical machine components such as lenses, corona charging devices and the like, thereby adversely affecting machine performance. Also, the anti-curl coatings occasionally separate from the substrate during extended cycling and render the photoconductive imaging member unacceptable for forming quality images. It has also been found that when long webs of a flexible photoconductor having an anti-curl coating on one side of a supporting substrate and a photoconductive layer on the opposite side of the substrate are rolled into large rolls, dimples and creases form on the photoconductive layer which result in print defects in the final developed images. Further, when the webs are formed into belts, segments of the outer surface of the anti-curl belt in contact with each other during shipment or storage at elevated temperatures also cause creases and dimples to form which are seen as undesirable aberrations in the final printed images. Expensive and elaborate packaging is necessary to prevent the anti-curl coating from contacting itself. Further, difficulties have been encountered in continuous coating machines during the during winter manufacturing of the coated photoconductive imaging members because of occasional seizing which prevents transport of the coated web through the machine for downstream processing.
Anti-curl layers will also occasionally delaminate due to poor adhesion to the supporting substrate. Moreover, in electrostatographic imaging systems where transparency of the substrate and anti-curl layer are necessary for rear exposure to activating electromagnetic radiation, any reduction of transparency due to opacity of the supporting substrate or anti-curl layer will cause a reduction in performance of the photoconductive imaging member. Although the reduction in transparency may in some cases be compensated by increasing the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation, such increase is generally undesirable due to the amount of heat generated as well as the greater costs necessary to achieve higher intensity.
Thus, the characteristics of electrostatographic imaging members comprising a supporting substrate coated on one side with at least one photoconductive layer and coated on the other side with an anti-curl layer exhibit deficiencies which are undesirable in automatic, cyclic electrostatographic copiers, duplicators, and printers.